The place where a plant or animal lives is called its habitat.

An adaptation is a feature of a plant or animal that helps them to survive in their habitat.

To survive means to continue to stay alive.

The way in which plants make food in their leaves is called photosynthesis.

An environment is the surroundings or conditions that an animal or plant lives in.

More about plant adaptations

Science

Where fossils are found (non-statutory)

What fossils can tell us about the past

How living things have changed over time

Human skulls: using evidence from the past (non-statutory)

Offspring: similar but not identical

Family trees (non-statutory)

Inherited characteristics

Animal adaptations

Charles Darwin and finches

Plant adaptations

The survival of the fittest

Evolution: evidence

Evolution: presentation

In this Evolution and inheritance unit, pupils learn that, normally, offspring vary and are not identical to parents. In the Heredity and DNA unit, they will build on this knowledge to learn about how genes and chromosomes work. 

In the New life unit, pupils learnt that animals, including humans have offspring which grow into adults. In this Evolution and Inheritance unit, pupils will build on this knowledge to recognise that living things produce offspring of the same kind, but normally offspring vary and are not identical to parents

This unit explores how living things have changed over time, using fossils as evidence of past life. It covers how offspring vary from parents and how adaptation leads to evolution. Emphasis is on planning scientific enquiries, recording data, and evaluating scientific evidence.

Evolution and inheritance

Physical activity and equipment requiring safe use

Use of equipment that may require supervision for safety, e.g. scissors in KS1, needles, paint, knives, cooking.

Which of these leaves have adaptations to drain water off them in very rainy habitats?

Scientists can use labelled scientific {{}} to record their ideas.

It is inherited from their parent plants.

It is decided by the plant depending on the habitat it lives in.

It is cut by the humans helping the plant to grow.

How do plants get their natural leaf shape?

Which of these characteristics would help plants to survive in a very rainy environment?

To help them blend in with their surroundings.

To help water drain away from the surface of the leaf.

Why do some leaves have a pointed tip that points downwards at the end?

Because the plant wants to stay this shape.

Because the plant’s owner trims the leaves to be this shape.

Because its adaptations are inherited characteristics that it can’t change.

Because it's owner gives it as much water as it would get in a rainforest.

Why does this potted plant still have adaptations for rainforest habitats, even though it is living in a cool, dry house?

Which of these pictures shows a rainforest habitat?

What is the weather like in a tropical rainforest environment?

Which part of a plant gathers sunlight to make food for the plant?

a habitat chosen by a species for its food sources.

a feature that allows a species to survive in its habitat.

a characteristic of an animal that makes it different to others in its species.

A characteristic that an animal can change during its lifetime.

A characteristic that is identical in all animals.

A characteristic that is passed on from parents to their offspring.

habitat with lots of plant-eating mammals

Match the plant adaptation to the habitat it is suited for.

More about plant adaptations

Lesson outcome

Content guidance